When it comes to taking care of your teeth, a visit to the dentist is what you need. Whether you need to get your routine check-up, cleaning, fix chipped tooth, get a more beautiful smile or more, the dentist is just the right person you need for this task. However, there are 2 types of dentists – the general one and a cosmetic dentist. They may be under the same profession but their specialty and services offered are different from each other. To know which kind of dentist you need for your dental issue, here are the differences between a cosmetic and general dentist.
General Dentist
A general dentist is the one who is concerned about the health of your teeth. They are the ones who will help and guide you through proper oral health care to help you maintain healthy gums and teeth. Aside from that, they are also the ones who educate children on how to properly take care of their teeth to start dental healthcare while they’re still young.
If you need your regular dental check-up, a visit to a general dentist is what you need. He or she will check your teeth and gums and detect early signs of disease or damage such as cavities and gum problems if there are any. Aside from that, you can also get teeth cleaning from a general dentist. Some of the other services you can get from a general dentist are root canals and cavity filling.
Tooth decay is one of the common issues of patients and can be treated by either filling it or having a root canal. If the decay is not that severe, it can still be fixed by cavity filling. However, if the damage has reached deep down into the dental tissue, the dentist will have to remove the rotten tissue before filling it to prevent the problem from reoccurring.
Cosmetic Dentist
While a general dentist is focused on maintaining the health of their patient’s teeth and gums, a cosmetic dentist’s aim is to give people a better or more beautiful smile. Cosmetic dentistry is a field of specialization that is focused on procedures that could make a patient’s smile look more attractive. If your smile is ruined by a missing, broken or chipped tooth, a visit to a cosmetic dentist is what you need.
They have all the procedures you need to fix these issues – dental implants, veneers, dental bonding and more. Aside from that, they could also correct misaligned teeth through braces. When your teeth are looking discoloured, you can achieve that beautiful pearly white smile through teeth whitening or bleaching. All of these are aimed to give the patients a more attractive smile that helps boost their confidence when facing different people.
Now that you know the difference between these two specializations, you won’t feel confused about where to go depending on the type of oral health issue that you have. Choose the right one to get the right treatment that you need.
